Anywhere But Here: In Defense of Cyrus Crabb
by W.H. Woolhat
Summary: [Miniseries based] Cyrus Crabb's daughter has a thing or two to say to Karl and David about Dinotopia's effect on people.


**Anywhere But Here – In Defense of Cyrus Crabb**

**Author's note: **_Ever notice just how often in the miniseries that Cyrus was right about things? This is my attempt to inject a little angst into Dinotopia, because every fandom needs angst now and again._

Karl Scott was standing in Fountain Square, absently watching people go by. Suddenly, a girl approached him out of the crowd.

She looked familiar somehow. Beneath a head of curly, dark hair was a rounded face with a large nose. Staring out from behind small, round, silver spectacles was a pair of blue-gray eyes.

"Excuse me," she said when she spotted Karl, "I'm trying to find 17a Promenade Arcade, but I'm afraid I'm lost."

"Promenade Arcade is right up there," Karl replied, pointing over his shoulder.

"Thank you," the girl nodded and headed purposefully in the direction Karl indicated. Karl watched her go, then shrugged and went to see what David was up to.

Karl had completely forgotten about the girl by that afternoon. Once again, he was in Fountain Square, this time with his brother, David, and their dinosaur friend, Zippo. Once again, the girl appeared out of the crowd, this time wearing a long coat and laden with a rather full black satchel. She was carrying a walking stick in one hand, which she used to gesture towards Karl as she approached.

"Thanks for the directions earlier. They were very helpful," she said.

"Uh, you're welcome," Karl replied, a bit surprised. He hadn't expected to see the girl again.

The girl nodded and was about to turn and go when she caught sight of Zippo. Her eyes lit up and she smiled.

"Zippo!" she exclaimed happily. "I haven't seen you in ages! How are you?"

Zippo was taken aback, but then recognition dawned and he also smiled.

"Why, Miss van Ostenburgh!" he exclaimed. "This _is _a surprise. What brings you to Waterfall City?"

"There was a bit of a rumor that I had to confirm," the girl replied vaguely. "Unfortunately, it looks like it was true. I'm sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself." She turned to Karl and David. "Arabella Crabb van Ostenburgh."

Karl and David shook hands with the girl and introduced themselves in return.

"Van Ostenburgh?" David asked. "I've never heard that name."

"Yes, well, it's just a handy name I carry around for when I encounter people who won't deal with a Crabb," Arabella explained with a grin. "Anyhow, I do have a few things to take care of, but you're all welcome to accompany me for a cup of tea, or something stronger if I can find it."

"That would be delightful," Zippo replied. David and Karl nodded, but they seemed wary. Karl knew why the girl had seemed familiar before, but he didn't want to say anything in case David and Zippo hadn't picked up on it. Zippo seemed happy to see Arabella for whatever reason, and despite the dinosaur's absentmindedness, Karl trusted his judgment.

They followed Arabella to Promenade Arcade and into a shop at the end of the street that had a faded "closed" sign on the door.

"Wait a minute, this is Cyrus Crabb's old place," David said as they entered the dusty gloom of the shop.

"Yes," Arabella nodded as she leaned the walking stick against a table and swung the satchel off her shoulder. "He was my father. Tea? Or should I check the liquor cabinet?"

"Just tea," David said hurriedly, glancing at Karl. Both of them remembered Cyrus Crabb all too well; it had only been six months since he's tricked them into doing his dirty work in trying to find an entrance to the World Beneath. Only Zippo seemed unconcerned that the man's hitherto unheard of offspring had suddenly turned up.

Arabella set about making tea rather briskly, and soon all four of them were seated around a table. Books and scrolls sat in piles on the floor around them, covered in dust.

"So what was this rumor you had to check on?" Karl asked. Arabella sipped her tea and laughed shortly.

"It's not a rumor anymore," she replied. "Apparently everyone in this city except for me knew that my father died six months ago. So I've been trying to get a few of his things together." Her gaze traveled to the satchel and her eyebrows knit in a frown.

"Oh my," Zippo said quietly.

"Exactly," Arabella nodded, "I did a bit of beach combing this morning. I can show you a couple of the less gruesome things, if you like."

Karl and David glanced at each other again, but Zippo nodded. He seemed to understand the girl in a way the boys couldn't fathom.

"Wait a minute," David interjected, "If you're Cyrus's daughter, how come we've never seen you before?"

"I've lived in a cave in Canyon City most of my life," Arabella replied mildly.

"And I met her there on one of my research expeditions," Zippo added. "She's no one to be afraid of, boys."

"You didn't seem so thrilled with Cyrus," Karl pointed out.

"Yes, well, Cyrus was different," Zippo said with a shrug.

"Thank you, Zippo," Arabella frowned, "But if anyone is going to speak ill of my father right now, I'd rather it be me."

"So sorry, Arabella," Zippo murmured, returning to his tea.

"Anyway, my father's things," Arabella continued, reaching for her satchel. "I found all of this on the beach this morning. You've already seen his walking stick," she added. She pulled a twisted length of metal out of the satchel and set it on the table.

"My father's glasses," she explained, "Twisted and mangled though they are. And this," she pulled out a long, rusted pistol. "I have no idea where he got this, but he obviously took care of it." She pulled out a third item and David recoiled.

"I thought you were showing us the _less _gruesome things," he said with a shudder.

"What? It's a false leg," Arabella replied, giving David a strange look. "If it was a _real _leg, then that would be gruesome." She sat back.

"Fine, but with all due respect, I'm not really sure why you're showing us all this," David said, glancing at Karl, who nodded. "I mean, Cyrus wasn't exactly our best friend."

"Yeah. He kind of manipulated us and shot me in the leg," Karl added.

"Oh, I'm not disputing the fact that Cyrus Crabb wasn't a nice man," Arabella said, shaking her head. "In fact, I think he was probably one of the most insane men ever to walk the earth, much less Dinotopia. But, by the same token, it was Dinotopia that drove him insane."

"What are you talking about?" Karl asked incredulously. In response, Arabella leaned back and took a book off a pile behind her. She set the fat volume on the table and pushed it toward the boys.

"This is my father's journal," she said, tapping the cover. "One of two, actually, but the other one is all maps and charts. This one spans nearly twenty years, and the closer it gets to the end, the more my father wrote, and the more insane his writings became. He wrote quite a bit about you two," she added, looking at Karl and David.

"What did he say?" asked Karl, interested despite himself.

Arabella smiled wanly. "He liked you, Karl. Thought you were spunky. Cunning, even."

"What about me?" David wanted to know.

"Well, to be honest, he called you a 'scaly-loving ponce' on more then one occasion," Arabella answered, "But I wouldn't take it too seriously; he was pretty far gone at that point."

"Arabella," Zippo addressed the girl suddenly, "I respect your opinion of your father, but I must say that I can't see the point you're trying to make."

"Oh, Zippo, old friend," Arabella sighed and shook her head, "We've had this discussion so many times. But now I have concrete evidence for my side of the argument."  
"What are you guys talking about?" David asked, raising an eyebrow. It was Zippo's turn to sigh.

"Arabella remains convinced that Dinotopia is not a utopia," he explained sadly.

Arabella nodded. "And I continue to maintain that it is not."

"But everybody lives together in peace and harmony," Zippo insisted.

"Oh yes?" Arabella raised an eyebrow, "And what about the carnivores?"

"They stay in their own areas," Zippo said.

"Yes, and only because there are barriers against them," Arabella snapped bitterly.

"And they respect those barriers," Zippo responded.

"Only because it's more of a pain to get past them than it is to stay put!" Arabella exclaimed. "Don't you see? If this were a utopia, there wouldn't be anything to be afraid of. There would be no discontent; everybody would be happy." She fished another book out of one of the many piles on the floor and flipped through it.

"'Utopia,'" she read, and the boys realized that the book was a dictionary, "'An ideally perfect place, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects.'" She looked up, her eyes glinting. "And do you know how Cyrus defined a utopia in the later parts of his journal?"

Karl and David looked at each other and shook their heads. They were beginning to suspect that Arabella was as crazy as her father.

"'Anywhere but bloody here,' that's what he wrote!" the girl exclaimed, thumping her fist on the table. "Does that sound like someone living in an 'ideally perfect place'?"

"You said yourself that he was insane," Karl pointed out.

"Insane, but not stupid," Arabella retorted. "He knew the kind of place he was stuck in, and _that's _what drove him crazy. That's why he spent twenty years obsessing over maps and captains' logs."

"He obsessed over that stuff because he was greedy!" Karl exclaimed. "He wanted to dig up sunstones and take all the credit for saving Dinotopia so he could clear his name and come out looking like a hero!"

"Maybe in the end, he was," Arabella agreed, "But his original intentions were different. He didn't like this place, but since he didn't know how to leave it, the only other thing he could do was save it."

"What? Why?" David asked in surprise.

"He didn't want to die here," Arabella replied quietly. "Although he did occasionally express the desire to wake up in hell. Thought it might be more bearable."

"Oh dear," Zippo sighed.

"You see what I mean? Utopias aren't supposed to breed that kind of discontent," Arabella continued. "If this was a utopia, my father would still be alive."

"That's just one man; you can't use that as the basis for a whole argument," Karl said sourly. Arabella gave him a pointed look.

"As far as I've read," she said, tapping the journal again, "You weren't always exactly Mr. Content yourself. And it's not just people! Six months ago, a flock of pteranodons slaughtered every living being in Volcanium. I saw the swarm; it flew right over Canyon City. And, when the sunstones gave out, every pteranodon living in the lower reaches of the city burst out of their caves and joined the flock. I still have nightmares about it. That is _not _the kind of thing that happens in an ideal place."

"I understand that, Arabella," Zippo said with a nod, "But those weren't normal circumstances. When things are going as usual, Dinotopia is a peaceful, harmonious place."

"I see," Arabella murmured, standing up and turning her back to the trio at the table. "And would you say that today qualifies as a normal day in Dinotopia, Zippo?"

"Yes," Zippo replied, not hearing the edge in the girl's voice.

"So, by your definition, everything should be peaceful. Essentially, it's business as usual and everyone's fine."

"Yes," Zippo repeated cautiously.

"Well, by _my_ definition, if this were a utopia, none of this would be happening." Arabella began to pace as she continued. "I wouldn't have heard about my father's death a full six months after it happened, and I wouldn't be sitting in his dusty, half-stolen shop, trying to explain his neurotic behavior to a couple of kids."

Quite suddenly, she reached into her satchel again and drew out the most gruesome item of all: a human skill. She put it forcefully down on the table as she yelled,

"And I wouldn't have found his skull on the beach this morning!" Then she dropped back into her chair, her face hidden in her hands.

David, Karl, and Zippo stared at the skull in horror. Even Zippo, who knew Arabella fairly well, didn't know what to say. Karl was the first to find his voice.

"You carried your father's skull back from the beach in a satchel, and you're calling _him_ crazy?" he gasped.

"If I could have fit the rest of him in there, I would have brought that, too!" Arabella exclaimed, fighting to keep her voice from cracking. "He deserves a proper burial, although I doubt anyone would agree to it. He may have been insane and rude and manipulative, but he was a human being. He was my _father_, and I'm not going to let all that's left of him stay strewn on the beach like that." She bit her lip and turned away, leaving the others stunned.

"Arabella," Zippo said tentatively after a moment, "How many times did you actually see your father?"

"Six, if I recall correctly," Arabella replied quietly. "I usually met him somewhere; he couldn't climb down to my cave with that false leg." She glanced at Zippo over her shoulder. "I know what you're thinking, and it's not true. Just because I lived most of my life on my own doesn't mean I didn't know my father. You only had to look at him to know what he was going through. And we talked a lot. There's not much to do in Canyon City besides walk, climb, and talk, and he couldn't climb, so," she shrugged. "I knew him well enough to understand him. To understand what this place did to him."

"You keep saying Dinotopia drove him insane," Karl said, frowning, "But how? Nobody told him to go looking for the World Beneath."

"No, but in his more unsettled states of mind, he thought that was pretty much the only way to get people to stop treating him like garbage," Arabella replied. "That's the biggest problem here, you know."

"What is?" David asked.

"Nobody has any personality. There's no individuality. It's like everyone's afraid of it," Arabella sighed. "It's no secret that Cyrus was an eccentric, even before he went nuts. You only have to look around this place to see that. And people were scared to death of him doing something 'wrong' just because he thought outside of their little box. I think, somewhere inside his head, he just wanted to prove them wrong.

"I almost got to that point myself in Canyon City a couple years ago. People thought I was crazy because I spent a lot of time singing and painting pictures on the walls of my cave. Not that it was any of their business; I did my part in society, so I was quite entitled to spend my free time how I pleased. But I spent it doing things that other people didn't really understand, and I ended up a bit of an outcast. Nobody ever treated me badly, per say, but people kept their distance."

"You're rambling, Arabella," Zippo said gently. Arabella sighed and began to pace again.

"You know my point," she said. "Dinotopians have no music, no art, and no creative writing to speak of. Any you _do_ have is anemic at best. Everybody spends so much time convincing themselves that their lives are controlled by destiny and living inside _what_ they think they are that most of them never find out _who_ they are. And that's immeasurably sad. It's not utopian; it's mindlessness."

There was a moment of silence. Then Karl let out a short, sharp laugh.

"Are you telling us that Cyrus Crabb had enough insight to know all of that?" he asked, amused.

Arabella raised an eyebrow at him. "So you don't deny that it's true?"

"Well, a year ago I would have agreed with you," Karl replied, "But things have changed a lot for me since then. I've learned a thing or two about how this place works."

"And, it would seem, you've begun to overlook its flaws," Arabella said pensively, crossing her arms and drumming her fingers in the crook of her elbow. "Fascinating. That's the way it seems to be with everyone in this place. I'd call it brainwashing if it didn't make everyone so apparently happy."

"Everyone _is _essentially happy," David insisted. "That's how things work here."

Arabella flashed him a vague, unsettling smile.

"You keep thinking that," she said quietly. "Maybe someday it will occur to you to start asking people what they really want. You might find that the mindset here is quite different than it seems."

She picked up Cyrus's walking stick and leaned on it, staring vaguely out the window. Zippo motioned to Karl and David that it was time to leave, and the three of them got up. The boys left hastily, seeming thoroughly convinced that Arabella was insane herself. Zippo, however, paused in the doorway.

"I'm sorry about your father, Arabella," he murmured before turning and leaving the shop.

Arabella stayed at the window, watching people go by and wondering just how wise it was to try to create an 'ideally perfect place' and, if one managed to exist, how long people would last in it before going just as insane as her father had.

THE END


End file.
